“I wasn’t sure things would be alright, in the end, “Airin admits. Soe blinks down at her.

Soe sits on their couch, television blaring some nonsense news. They still hadn’t chosen a replacement king yet. Soe wonders if they’re planning to look for one at all.

The Throne Room hums in the back of her head, but it doesn’t offer up any theories.

Airin sits on the floor. She doesn’t look at Soe.

Soe refocuses on the conversation.

“You weren’t?” Soe asks her. Airin has always been the positive one between the two of them. She was the one with hope.

Hope for the future. That peace would be near. And it was near no longer.

Peace was finally here.

Airin shakes her head and continues to stare down at the carpet. Her hands play with the short fibers.

“I… I didn’t know if peace would be near, or not, “Airin mumbles, and her voice rises as she goes on, “There was just no way to know. Even if we left - or moved - there was no guarantee that The Dark Emperor wouldn’t follow on our heels!” She looks at Soe now.

The skin of her nose and around her eyes is red, and Soe is speechless.

“So I- I had us go to the Fated Duel - got us tickets and everything! - because I needed confirmation, “Airin breathes in loudly, “Confirmation that everything would be alright. Just like I promised.”

Oh.

Soe leaves the couch for the floor, and takes Airin in her arms.

They hadn’t gone to the Fated Duel for Soe. Not really.

Soe’s shoulder is damp when Airin pulls away. She watches Airin furiously scrub away her tears.

“...But!, “Airin continues, still rubbing at her eyes. “It’s okay now.”

“Yeah, “Soe agrees quietly.

They sit in silence, soaking in their words.

Airin takes a breath.

“And, “she continues, “I wanted to give you this, too.”

Airin reaches behind herself - where Soe can’t see - and gently shoves a small, thin box at Soe.

Soe opens it.

“A thank you. You didn’t just say that peace was near, “Airin says, “You ensured it with your own two hands.” A wobbly grin plays on her lips.

Soe stares at the shiny knife in her hands. Flips it over and traces the engraved brand on it. It was the same style of knife as her old one.

“It’s magic-less, “Airin says apologetically, but her tone is light and humorous, “and it’s not the sharpest, but I thought it looked useful when I saw it displayed in a store’s window yesterday.”

Soe stares at her now. She opens her mouth and closes it several times.

A dull, magic-less knife. Truly a useless knife.

And then Soe laughs. Laughter that was light and warm and just a touch of relief.

Peace was finally here.

--

---

--

And what happens next goes like this:

There is a land known as the Lunaris Kingdom.

But for centuries, it is most known as the land with no ruler.

Rumor had it that both their Dark Emperor and Chosen One fell in battle, and so - with no Chosen One to rightfully take his station, nor a Dark Emperor to take it by force - no one ascended to the throne.

But another land, an ambitious man rose to power and he conquered two kingdoms. With time, he earned the title The Dark Emperor.

High on power and greed, he turned his gaze to the neighboring kingdom.

Lunaris will be the third, he decided.

Lunaris was smaller and it had no ruler. It would be much simpler to conquer, he thought, Lucky number three.

Lucky indeed.

The Dark Emperor and his army marches into the Capital unopposed. None of the citizens attempt to stop their progress. He scoffs.

The Tower is easy to find. It even has Knights at every entrance and at every few meters between.

But none of them move to attack nor defend against the Dark Emperor. In fact, some of them are playing cards when he passed by. One stares into the distance with a sketchbook and brush in hand.

And the Lunaris Knights guarding the throne room are playing darts. Truly, the lack of a king shows in every aspect of Lunaris. What a pathetic lot.

But, he would fix it soon enough.

The man struts down the halls to the enormous doors and the Knights. The Lunaris Knights finally seem to notice him and pause their game.

“Open the throne room, “he orders.

A woman in armor stands up from her cushy chair, where she had watched the dart game.

“You wish to assume the throne?” she asks. As she walks closer, the Dark Emperor can see her face wrinkled with age. There was a solemness to her tone.

“I do.”

The other Lunaris Knights watch - silent - as the woman moves to the great doors of the throne room. The keys clink in her hands as she unlocks it. And steps aside.

Cocky at the lack of resistance, the man orders only his personal guards to follow him into the room. They push past the doors, stride confidently into the room, and stop upon the sight of the throne.

Up on the throne, sat a corpse.

Six other corpses - dry bits of skin flaking off bone, flea infested, and fine clothing rotting - lay at the throne’s feet.

“What is this?!” the man asks. He then whips around to address the Knights, who followed them in. The old woman and two others.

The old Knight steps closer to him and the throne. “This is the remnants of the man who attempted to take the throne from centuries ago. And the ones after that.”

“Was it the Chosen One?!” he demands. It would seen there would be some resistance in Lunaris after all. The Chosen One would have to be taken care of immediately.

“No… no. No Chosen Ones killed these Dark Emperors, “she replies.

Dark Emperors.

“Guards!” he calls, livid. If this was what he suspected, this woman would not pull one over him!

...

...But his guards do not attack.

He turned in time to see both his knights fall, necks slit by the Lunaris Knights.

Angry, the man lifted his great sword up to attack. But-

But his magic - trained and refined over the years - failed to come to his aid.

“What-” the man goes to ask, but the sound of metal against metal distracts him.

The Lunaris knight taps her armored hand against the wall. A wall covered in glowing runes, like every other wall in the throne room.

“No magic in the throne room, “she says in a mock apologetic tone.

No magic?!

“No magic?!” the man deems to voice, “But that would hinder you as well, not just I!”

The Knights glance between themselves.

“...Did you know? There is a Legend that is passed down in Lunaris, “the Lunaris Knight comments lightly, “about a woman in this great throne room.”

“Oh?” The man asks coyly, but eyes search frantically at the runes for a loophole. “Was it one of your previous Chosen Ones? Some great warrior of legend, like every other?”

The Knight shakes her head.

“No, no. She was no Chosen One - no Chosen One, no Dark Emperor, and no king - yet, her story has been passed down for generations, “the Knight told him, “She slew a Dark Emperor with a knife.”

“I assume it is some great knife of much magical potential…?” the man asks distantly. His eyes continue to skim the walls.

“Oh no. She was just a woman with a knife. Not a drop of magic involved.”

“...What?” the man questioned, successfully distracted. To defeat a Dark Emperor with just a knife? Not even a magical knife?

Impossible, even he had heard of the might of the Dark Emperors of past! And he would be better than any of them, of course.

“Exactly what I said. A woman with a knife came up to him and slew the Dark Emperor with a knife. Nothing more.”

“...You truly mean to tell me no Chosen one took down any of these Dark Emperors?” he asks, “Is there a Chosen One in Lunaris now?”

“Ha! No, there is no Chosen One in Lunaris. Hasn’t been one in a long time, actually.”

The two Knights drew out mundane, perfectly magic-less knives. Not a single magic rune to be seen on them.

“We like to take care of our own problems before they get to that point, nowadays.”

The Knight smiles. A sharp, mean smile.

“And we like to think we’ve been doing perfectly well without a king, too. Thanks for asking.”